What's Inside
by whitem
Summary: A little story Ron tell's his children about facing your fears.  Kinda scary...  Chap 3 posted, and now complete.
1. Chapter 1

Here's something else I have been thinking of, and after seeing "Monster House", decided to go ahead and write it. Now I guess I'll have three stories going on at once. Oh well.

Disclaimer: This story is NOT based on the movie "Monster House". Also… I don't own the principle characters involved, though there may be a few extras I make up.

What's Inside

"Daddy! Daddy!" The young girl cried out, waking from a terrible nightmare. Her screams woke her twin brother.

It was still early in the evening about 8:30, so Ron was still up, and he immediately ran to the children's room.

"V?" He called out, gently knocking on the door before slowly pushing it open. He couldn't call her Veronica, as his daughter didn't like her full name, and it still didn't sound right when he called her Ronnie. So he shortened it the only way he knew how.

Opening the door slowly, Ron saw that both of his children were awake. V was sitting up in her bed, clutching her covers, and Jonathan was lying in bed, just watching. He was always so calm. It hadn't taken long for their parents to figure out who got what traits from their parents. Jonathan received Kim's bravery and great intellect, when V received all of her dad's frailties, and insecurities.

She just had another nightmare, and she was shaking as Ron stepped in to the room. Immediately V jumped up on the bed, and pulled her Dad into a crushing hug.

"It's OK V, it's OK. It was just a dream."

"But it was so REAL Daddy! There were monkeys everywhere! I… couldn't get away!" She shuddered at the fading memory of the nightmare while her brother just shook his head side to side.

"It's OK now. I'm here." Ron said as he lay her small body back down on the bed. "You really do need to control your fears, V."

"But… but how can I… do that?" She asked, tears drying on her cheeks.

Ron took a breath and sat on the edge of the twin bed. "You know, it's a good thing your mother had to work late tonight."

"Why is that Daddy?" His daughter asked.

"Because if she knew of the story I was about to tell you, she'd have my hide."

"A… story? What kind of story?" V was intrigued.

"Yeah, Dad. What kind of story?" Jonathan finally spoke. After all, he always just watched a situation, and only spoke when he really wanted to.

"It's the story of how I finally learned to face my own fears." Ron said as he brushed strawberry blonde locks out of his daughter's eyes. He looked at both of his children and felt so proud. They had grown up so quick, as their next birthday would herald them into the teen years.

"You get… scared, Daddy?" V asked, wide eyed at her father's statement.

"All the time. It's just now I get scared when I look at you two." He looked at both of his children again.

"Huh…?" They both said in unison.

"I'm scared for your futures. I'm scared that you will grow up. I'm scared that you will…" He shifted slightly on the bed. "Forget about your… 'Old Man'."

"That would never happen, Daddy." V said and hugged his neck again.

"What about the story, Dad?" Jonathan asked.

"Ah, yes. My story." He tucked his daughter in, and then stepped over to the other twin bed and did the same for his son. "It's kind of scary. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Yes!" Both 12-year-olds chorused, and Ron pulled up chair between the beds, and began to tell his story.

…x x x x…

Young Ron Stoppable was riding his bike down the side of the street, heading home. He had just seen an afternoon matinee with his good friend Kim.

"_That's Mommy, right?"_

_"Yes. Shush now and let Daddy tell his story." Ron said._

Well, it just so happened that his path was to lead him passed the old Cratchet House. It was an old wooden two-story house that looked like it was almost 100 years old. All the paint was gone, leaving the ugly gray wood exposed. The dry and cracking shingles were curled up, and many of the windows had been broken out.

Standing in front of the house were three older boys that Ron never really liked. He went to the other side of the street, hoping they wouldn't notice him, as they were all looking at the old house, with rocks in their hands. They had been trying to break out the small attic window that was high up in one of the gables.

Suddenly he heard his name called. "Stoppable!"

"Huh…?" Turning to see who had called his name, Ron missed seeing the curb and his front wheel hit, sending him tumbling into the grass.

As he stood up, trying to right the bike, he saw three shadows approach. Turning around, he saw the three boys that were in front of the Cratchet house earlier. It was Vinnie and his thug friends, Bruno and Slink.

"Hey Stoppable." Vinnie said again.

"Leave me alone, Vinnie." Ron said, starting to get back on his bike. He went to start pedaling away when a hand clamped onto the handlebars, stopping him.

"We just heard something very interesting today." Vinnie said, leering at him. "Wanna know what it was?"

"Not… not really. Please, let me go home."

"Aww… you don't have your redheaded girlfriend to protect you now, do you?" Bruno said with a lisp.

"She's not my girlfriend." Ron said heatedly.

"I don't care!" Vinnie roared, and stepped closer to Ron, who cringed at the boy's bad breath. "We heard that you're supposed to be a Man now."

"Uhh… yeah. So?" It was common knowledge that he had had his Barmitzvah 6 months ago since his parents had thrown a big party.

"Well… we wanted to have you PROVE to us that you're a Man." Vinnie looked at his friends, laughing.

"What… what do mean, Vinnie…" Ron was starting to get nervous.

"You know the old Cratchet house?"

"Yeah…" Ron said a bit nervous.

"If you can spend a night inside that house… we won't bother you ever again. The only condition… you have to be inside from sundown, to sun-up." He cackled a mischievous laugh.

Ron stood there holding his bike, head down, thinking.

_If I do this, then maybe I'll get the respect I want. I really don't like these guys, but if it will keep them off my back…_

"I'll do it." Raising his head, he replied with conviction. "When?"

"Well… since this is Saturday… TONIGHT! Be at this spot, 10 minutes before sundown."

"Oh… OK. Tonight then". Ron peddled off as he heard the boy's laughter behind him.

As soon as he got home, Ron dialed his friend.

_"Mommy?" V said, interrupting again._

_"Now what did I tell you about interrupting? I won't finish the story."_

_"Sorry Daddy. Go ahead. I'll be quiet. I promise"_

_Ron then continued his story._

"Kim! You're not going to believe what just happened to me!" Ron quickly said as soon as she picked up the phone.

"Calm down, Ron. What's going on?"

He recounted what had happened earlier, and what Vinnie had asked him to do.

"Ron…" Kim said. "You know you shouldn't have to prove anything to anybody. Besides… that house… it does give me the creeps. But just a little."

"But think of it Kim! If I do this, then I won't ever be picked on again!"

"You've heard the story of that house… Haven't you, Ron?" Kim asked, a little worried for her friend.

"Yeah Kim… I know. The kid that disappeared all those years ago, the parents moving out at night, and no one being able to stay in there for more than a day ever since. I've heard all the stories. But they're just… stories. Right?"

Kim was silent for a bit, then spoke. "I'm going with you."

"What? No Kim. I can't have you do that. I don't think Vinnie and the guys…"

"Did he say you had to do it alone?" She asked.

"Well… no."

"Then it's settled. I'm going with you. Besides, you need to tell your parents where your going to be, right?"

"Yeah…" He finally said after just nodding.

"Just tell them you will be at my house, and I'll tell my parents I'm at yours. Everything will be covered. Now what time did you have to be there?"

…x x x x…

Riding his bike, Ron arrived at the spot about 5 minutes earlier than what Vinnie said. He stood there across the street from the old house, staring at the windows. The sun was going down behind the house, and he thought he saw movement behind one of the remaining panes of glass.

"Huh…?" He stood there, transfixed by the window, waiting to see if the movement repeated itself.

"Hey Ron." A voice said behind him, making him jump and say a word that his parents would never hear him use.

"Don't do that Kim! You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry I'm a little late. And I'll forget what I just heard you say."

Just then, Vinnie and his cronies peddled up on their own bikes. "Didn't think you would show up, Stoppable."

"Yeah… and it looks like you brought your girlfriend." Bruno said. Slink just stayed quiet, as always, but smiling.

Ron growled a bit at the 'girlfriend' jab.

"It's OK Ron." Kim said with a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get this over with."

"Hey…" Ron said again. "You never said I had to do this alone."

"You're right, I didn't." He thought for a little bit. "Oh well. Neither of you will be able to stay all night. Then BOTH of you will either be popular… or dead."

Ron swallowed hard. "It'll be OK Ron." He heard his friend say.

"Well, it's sundown." Vinnie said. "You two better get there."

Kim and Ron shrugged a shoulder, readjusting the strap on their backpack, walked across the street, and up the rickety steps of the old house. They turned around to look at the three who had gotten them into the situation, and heard all three laughing.

"Who knows?" They heard Vinnie say. "Maybe the two will have a little 'Fun' in there, if you know what I mean!"

Kim huffed at the boy's comment and turned around, facing the door with her friend. Both stood there looking at the large, imposing door. Ron reached out, turned the knob, and pushed.

The door swung open with a creak, and they heard it thunk against something, stopping a little more than halfway open. The two looked at each other, and stepped in together.

After a few steps in, the door suddenly slammed shut, leaving them in partial darkness. Ron grabbed onto Kim, who hissed at him for grabbing her arm too hard.

"Sorry Kim."

"Is the door locked?" She asked, and Ron turned to open the door. He reached out to where the doorknob should have been, but it wasn't there! He looked around frantically, and saw it on the floor! He knelt down, picked it up, and turned towards his friend.

"Umm… Kim?" He said, holding it up in the rapidly fading light.

To be continued…

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I was going to do this as a long one shot, but now I've decided to make this a multi-chapter story. Hope y'all like!


	2. Chapter 2

Not too many reviews or hits, but that's OK. This is the first time I've tried to write a "Haunted House" type of story. Thanks to those who have left a review: XxSilverMoonFrostxX, AtomicFire, and Molloy.

Disclaimer: You know the drill… I don't own the Kim Possible characters, yadda… yadda… yadda

Chapter 2

"What did you do Ron?" Kim asked heatedly.

"It wasn't me Kim! I swear! It probably fell off as soon as the door slammed shut."

"You brought a flash light with you, right?" Kim asked as she began to un-shoulder her backpack.

"I… I think so."

Ron took his own pack off, and started to rummage through.

"Let's see… Naco for later, clean pair of underwear, extra pants… ewww! What's that? Oh, that's right. Man! I should have brought Rufus with me! Ah! Here we are… flashlight!" He lifted it up triumphantly and flicked it on, only to see a weak yellow beam shine for a few seconds, and go out.

"Aww… Mannn!"

Kim scoffed, and pulled out two flashlights. She was always the one to be prepared for anything. "Here Ron. I had a feeling this might happen."

"Heyyy… What that a dig?" He said, looking at her sideways.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Oh c'mon Ron… let's get this over with. Now did you at least bring a sleeping bag?"

"Yup! My Fearless Ferret Wonder bag! Good to 30 degrees." He said with a smile.

Suddenly something moved at the edge of their field of vision.

"Kim…" Ron hissed. "Did you see something?"

"I… don't know." She flicked on her flashlight, and Ron did the same. Beams of light pierced the darkness, showing every particle of dust in the air. To their left was a large wooden staircase, and to the right was an arched entry way, leading into a living area.

Heading off to their right, where the supposed movement was, their flashlights dimly lit the room. It was sort of a combination TV room, and library. To the right of the entry was an old console TV sitting on the floor, and opposite that was a large old ratty and torn couch. Between the couch and TV was a recessed fireplace. Behind the couch, was a large area in which two whole walls were covered with shelves that were filled with books. The one wall not covered by shelves was covered with framed pictures. A long narrow table ran along the wall, holding various items. Vases, candle holders, more pictures, and knick-knacks.

Ron's flashlight landed on a small opened jewelry box. The lid had a small mirror, reflecting his beam. He took a step forward to check it out, and just as he reached for it, the lid slammed closed just missing his fingers!

"Kim!" He shouted. "D… did you… see that?" His voice was beginning to falter.

"Amp down Ron. You probably touched it, making it close." Kim rationalized, but she was starting to get a little nervous herself.

Suddenly one of the pictures on the wall started to shake! They both snapped their flashlights around, and watched as it continued to move, apparently on its own!

"Kimmmmm…" Ron said, backing away.

Kim slowly walked up to the picture of an old barn, and reached a hand out as it continued to shake. Just before her hand reached it, this large framed picture flew across the room and smashed into the shelf of books on the opposite wall, knocking books all over the place!

"Ahhhhhh!" Ron screamed, and bolted out of the room. Kim had to duck to make sure the picture didn't hit her, and as a result she didn't see where exactly Ron had run off to.

------------------------

"Ummm…Jonathan?" Ron asked, worry etched on his face. "Is this story too much for you?"

"Huh? No, Dad. Everything's fine. Please, continue."

"I was just making sure. You look a little… nervous.

Jonathan looked down, and noticed his hands were clenching his covers. He immediately let them go, and smoothed out his blanket.

"I'm fine."

"OK then. Now, where was I?"

"You had just run away from the flying picture, Daddy." V answered.

"Oh… that's right."

---------------------------------

Ron had left the room and flew up the stairs, taking them at least three at a time. Not paying any attention where he was going, he ended up on the second floor in a large area. Leaning over a banister he attempted to catch his breath. Using his flashlight, Ron quickly looked at his surroundings, trying to get his bearings.

The railing he stood next to was around an open area so you could see down to first floor. To his left were three doors, each about halfway open. As he turned around, his flashlight fell upon a fairly large open area of floor. There were a few toys lying around, and an old wooden rocking horse. Everything was covered with dust.

As Ron looked around what appeared to be a child's play room, his eyes suddenly found something that made the color in his face completely disappear, and his jaw drop open.

His flashlight winked out, but there was still light in the room, coming from an apparition that stood in front of a large curtained window. It was a little girl dressed in what looked like a flowing white nightgown. She looked to be about 6 years old, had long blond hair that went past her shoulders, and she was pointing right at Ron! Her eyes were black as coal, filling her eye sockets. Her mouth opened and this ghostly image said one word.

"Innsssiiiiiiide…"

…x x x x…

Meanwhile, downstairs, Kim was picking herself up off the floor when she thought she heard laughter. Walking back towards the couch she saw the fireplace recessed into the wall, and noticed a recessed box area that was used to store wood. It had a small wooden door, and she approached to check it out.

As she reached for the door, Kim heard a loud scrapping noise come from the inside. She felt cold air seep around the small door, and she reached for the large iron ring to pull it open. Thinking she heard voices again, Kim grabbed the ring and pulled the door open!

"What the…?" She immediately saw an opening that led outdoors! Kim crawled through, and looked outside the house. Looking to her right, she saw three boys running around the corner leading to the front of the house. It was Vinnie and his thugs! They were the ones doing the so-called 'Haunting'!

"I've gotta find Ron and tell him this was all a set up!" Kim said to herself, and crawled back into the house.

After standing and brushing herself off, Kim went to find her friend.

…x x x x…

Not knowing how he got downstairs, Ron sat on the bottom step when Kim found him. He was shaking like a leaf.

"Ron? Are you OK?"

He shook his head side to side, not making a sound. His eyes were still wide with fear at what he had seen earlier.

"Ron…?" Kim asked again.

"K… Kim… I… saw a… a… g… ghost!"

"It's Vinnie and his buddies, Ron." Kim scoffed. "I saw them running out of the house. They somehow rigged the jewelry box and picture. There's no such things as ghosts!"

"Th… then wh… what's that?"

Kim turned around to see what Ron was shakily pointing at. It was something that caused her mind to almost completely shut down. Ron was pointing at a little girl that in her own right, shouldn't be there! She had an eerie glow about her, and she just stood there looking at them with coal black eyes.

"It… It's not… real, Ron." Kim said, trying to keep herself grounded. She swallowed hard, and spoke. "Maybe… Little girl? Are… are you… lost?"

The apparition turned its head, looked up at about a 45-degree angle, and spoke again. "Innnsssiiiide…"

The ghostly apparition raised its arm, pointed right at Ron and then turned, raising her pointed finger at the angle she was looking before.

"What?" Kim said, and heard a thump next to her. She looked over and saw that Ron had fainted! Snapping her head back around to where the little girl had been, all she saw was swirling dust where the little girl previously stood!

Quickly scanning the room, she couldn't see the little girl anywhere! Kim knelt down beside her friend, and gently shook Ron's shoulder.

"Wake up, Ron… Wake up."

"Huh… what?" His brown eyes focused on the green eyes in front of him. "Kim!"

"It's OK Ron, it's OK." She said, trying to calm him down.

"Did… did you see… her?"

"I… saw something." She said. "I… think it's got to be something that Vinnie and his goons have done. Maybe a trick of light and mirrors, or…"

"I don't think so, Kim" Ron said, looking straight up. Kim looked up, and saw draped over the railing right above them was a piece of white cloth.

"Ron…" Kim said grabbing his hand, helping him to stand. "I'm going to prove to you there are no such thing as ghosts!"

The two of them walked up the stairs holding hands. They rounded the end of the banister, and walked down the small hallway to the play area where Ron had first seen his… ghost.

Kim shone her flashlight all around, and then it landed on the cloth that was still draped over the railing. She walked over, picked it up, and dust flew everywhere!

"See Ron?" She said, turning around to see where he had gone to. This time he was staring through a door that led into a bedroom. His back was ramrod straight, and again his face looked devoid of all color. He held the flashlight in his hand, shaking from fear.

"Ron…? What are you…?" Kim walked over next to Ron and looked into the room. There was the little girl again, but she stood on a large chest up against a wall. Her head was turned down, as if looking at either her feet, or the chest. Her right hand was pointing straight down, and they heard her speak again.

"Innnnssssiiiiiiide!"

An idea snapped into Ron's fear-filled mind. Summoning as much courage as he could, Ron slowly stepped forward into the room. Watching the apparition the entire way, he slowly walked right up in front of the little girl, and knelt down in front of the chest. The hasp was latched, but not locked. As he reached out for the latch, the apparition disappeared again.

"Ron!" Kim said behind him. "See? It's gone. Now… come on. Let's set up our sleeping bags downstairs and try to get some sleep!" She stepped up next to him, and gently helped Ron stand using his elbow.

"Wh… where did she go?" He asked.

"Since you walked up to her, it probably shut down the camera, or whatever it was that was transmitting the image. It's over, Ron. It was all fake!"

"I'm… not so sure, Kim." Ron said, looking down at the chest.

"Well all I'm sure of, is we need some sleep. Now I say we go back down stairs and camp out by the front door. I brought a travel alarm so we can wake up just as the sun rises. After that, we'll go back to our houses, sneak in, and our parents won't be the wiser. Sound like a plan?"

The two then walked out of the room, and Ron paused at the door, looking at the chest again. Kim tugged on his arm, and led him back down to the font door where they lay out their sleeping bags.

"You going to be OK Ron?" Kim asked as she curled up in her own sleeping bag.

"Yeah… I guess so. But what if that little girl…"

"She was fake Ron. It was most likely a trick with mirrors and a camera somewhere. I've seen it done before in the haunted house at the fair. That's all it was. Now go to sleep."

Kim pretty much went to sleep right away. Ron lay there for a bit listening, and he didn't hear anything except for his friend's soft snoring. After a while, he too fell fast asleep.

Bam! Bam! Bam! The two were awakened by the sound of something beating on the front door. Kim awoke with a start, and immediately jumped into a fighting position she had just learned from her judo class. The door flew open spilling bright light inside! Kim squinted as two dark figures came through the door directly towards them! She looked down at Ron, who was having trouble getting out of his sleeping bag, as his zipper was stuck…

To be concluded…

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Well… How am I doing with a scary story? Does it work? Let me know with reviews. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Well everyone… here is the last chapter. I know this was kind of short, but oh well. I feel like it served its purpose. Thanks again to all those who have left a review: MrDrP, Molloy, Whisper fro the Shadows, AtomicFire, and Ace Ian Combat.

Disclaimer: Same as always. I do not own any characters already claimed by the Mouse Ears channel. The ghost was created by… me.

Chapter 3

In an attempt to clear sleep from her eyes, and to accustom herself to the bright light, Kim squinted and blinked several times.

Two voices spoke that both relieved and frightened the young pre-teens.

"Kimmie-cub?"

"Ronald?"

"Daddy?" Kim said, dropping her guard.

"Hey, Dad." Ron said, as he waved sheepishly from inside his sleeping bag, as he was stuck but good.

Kim rushed to her Dad, and hugged him. Mr. Possible returned the hug, and gently lay a hand on her hair as she pressed her face into his chest. "I thought you were at Ronald's house."

"And I thought you were at Kim's." Gene said to Ron as he helped his son un-zip the bag, and help him to stand.

"Are we in trouble?" Kim asked her dad as she looked up at him, her arms still wrapped around his waist.

"We are both VERY upset with the two of you." Gene said. "You both lied to us."

"The sun is already up?" Kim asked looking out the open front door, changing the subject. "I… set an alarm…"

She picked up the small Scooby Doo alarm clock and looked it over. The small button on the back that was to be pulled out to set the alarm was pushed in.

"I _know_ I set that thing…" Kim mumbled under her breath. "How… did you know we were here?"

"When your mother called the Stoppables to ask if we could all go to breakfast this morning, we knew something was wrong. It only took us about 10 minutes of driving around looking for you to finally see your bikes in front of this house."

"We weren't sure what we would find, but we knew you had to be inside. I just never thought you would be camped right inside the door." Gene finished.

"OK you two… now March!" James said as he gently went to usher his daughter out the front door.

"What were you two doing inside here anyway?" Gene asked as he went to take Ron by the elbow to get his son moving out the door.

_Inside…_ Ron thought. "I need to go check something out first, Dad!" Ron said loudly, turned on his heel and ran up the stairs.

"Ronald! You get back here this instant! You are in so much trouble as it is…" Gene said, and quickly went up the creaky stairs to find his son.

"Shall we follow them?" James asked his daughter.

"May as well."

Kim and her Dad went up the creaky old stairs, but not near as fast as Ron or his father. They saw Gene standing outside of a door, looking in. His mouth was open, but he wasn't making a sound.

The two walked up to his side and looked into the dark room. They too dropped their jaws at the sight.

Ron was kneeling in front of a large chest, his hands on the lid. Above the chest was a mist that vaguely resembled the form of a little girl. It was almost surreal as this was during the day, but the room was eerily dark

Without warning Ron undid the latch, lifted the lid of the chest, and fell back coughing and gagging as a small bit of dust hit him in the face. It wasn't just the dust that was making him gag though. It was a terrible rotting smell.

Ron lifted the bottom of his shirt over his mouth and looked into the chest. His eyes got wide, and he turned around, looking at everyone standing in the doorway, all color drained from his face. Tears ran down his cheeks, most likely from the dust. Or so everyone thought.

The three that were standing in the door next saw the misty form disperse and slowly disappear. It was Kim who regained her composure and slowly walked up to her friend's side and looked into the chest. Her hand shot to her mouth, and her eyes began to tear as Kim turned her head from the sight.

The two dads then walked into the room, and the rotten smell hit them too. Covering their noses mouths as Ron had earlier, they too looked into the chest. Both of them gently closed their eyes and dropped their heads in sorrow.

Inside the chest was the skeleton of a little girl. She wore a white night-gown type dress, the bony fingers clutching a small teddy bear to her chest. What little skin was left had turned gray, and had shrunk around the bones. Her long blonde hair lay underneath the small head.

"Ron…?" Kim finally said when she found her voice. "Th… that's… her. Isn't it?"

"Yeah Kim, it is. I'm sure of it."

James spoke next as the group backed away from the chest in an attempt to get away from the smell, though none of them left the room. "It looks as if she crawled into this chest, and the lid closed, causing the hasp to latch. That chest is lined with a thick padding, and I bet there was no way anyone could have heard her call for help."

"Daddy?" Kim said, looking up into her father's eyes.

"Yes Kimmie-cub?"

"We… saw her… ghost. Last night."

"Kimmie… now you know there is no such thing as ghosts." He replied.

"But we did see her!" Kim said full of emotion.

"That's what she was telling me all along." Ron said quietly, but everyone heard. "She was telling me that she was inside the chest."

"What are you talking about Ronald?" Gene asked.

"Ummm… nothing Dad, nothing."

James spoke again. "Well… let's go outside, get some fresh air, and call the police." He looked at Gene. "I think your son here has just solved a decades-old child disappearance."

…x x x x…

The Police came, taped off the house, and took statements from Kim, Ron, and each of their fathers. James had called Anne and told her an abbreviated version of the story, and said he would fill her in later.

Both pre-teens then rode their bikes home, followed slowly by James and Gene in the Stoppable's car. Kim rode up by Ron's side and spoke, breathing heavily from her pedaling.

"Hey Ron… (huff)… I just realized something."

"What's that, Kim?" He asked breathing hard also.

"You never once… called out for your old friend Rufus."

"I didn't?" He said, turning towards her.

"Not once. That was… really something last night, Ron. (huff) You were brave."

"Yeah… (huff)… I was? Wasn't I?" He straightened a bit on his bike.

"Let's not… say anymore to our parents about the ghost. (huff). OK? They might think we're crazy."

"Sure KP… No problem."

By then they had reached the Possible's house, Ron got into his Dad's car, and they drove home. The breakfast had been cancelled, so each family was by themselves for the rest of the day. Each of them had been banished to their rooms for the remainder of the day, and had to eat dinner in there also, as punishment for lying to their parents.

…x x x x…

"Is that it, Dad? Is the story over? Jeez, why did you tell us this? What kind of ending is that?" Jonathan said. "What about the little girl? Was the skeleton really hers?"

"Now… now, Jonathan. Calm down." Ron said, trying to calm his son. "I wasn't quite finished.

"That night, for some reason, about 2:30 in the morning I woke up. My eyes snapped open and who do you think was standing right next to my bed?"

"The little girl?" V asked, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Yup… the little girl. She told me her name was Elaine, and that she was happy now. Let's see if I can remember her final words."

…x x x x…

A very frightened Ron Stoppable sat up in bed staring at the floating white form of the little girl he had seen in the Cratchet House. Her eyes were no longer black, and he could almost tell what their original color was. She spoke to him

"Ron Stoppable…" Her voice was almost echoing, but not quite. It definitely sounded 'other worldly'. "Thank you for finding my body. If it were not for you facing your fears, my soul would not be at peace as it is now."

Ron just sat there in his bed, gripping the sheets with white knuckles. She continued to speak. "You are destined to do great things, Ron. I am not the only soul you will save. Continue to face those fears, and you can do anything. Always remember… anything is Possible!"

…x x x x…

"Whoa…" V and Jonathan said in unison.

"Now you two need to get to bed. Your Mom is going to have my hide if she finds out I've kept you up this late." He looked up at the clock on the wall. "She should be home any minute now. Good night…"

"Good night Daddy." Ron kissed his daughter on the forehead.

"Night… Dad." He then ruffled his son's hair as he had outgrown being kissed by his Dad.

"Good night… Ron…"

"Huh…?" All three said, looking around the room.

There in the corner of the room by a bookshelf was a little girl, dressed in all white. It was Elaine. She smiled, waved at the three, and slowly faded away.

Ron left their room with a smile on his face, not at all afraid at what he had just seen. Elaine would be there to watch over his children to make sure they would always be safe.

Jonathan and Veronica had their best night of sleep ever, as V didn't have anymore nightmares… ever again.

The end…

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Well, what did y'all think? Quite the bed-time story, huh? Is it plausible that an event like this would be what makes Ron do what he does? Facing his fear to always be at Kim's side, no matter how scared he might be? Let me know with some R & R... Thanks again!


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